Quick Answer
The answer is AWS Auto Scaling, because it is the native AWS service designed to automatically add or remove EC2 instances in response to CloudWatch alarms that monitor CPU utilization. When your SAP application tier experiences increased load, AWS Auto Scaling uses a scaling policy tied to a CloudWatch metric—such as average CPU utilization exceeding a threshold—to launch new instances, and it terminates them when demand drops, ensuring cost-efficient performance. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of operational scaling for SAP workloads, often appearing as a distractor where candidates confuse Elastic Load Balancing (which only distributes traffic, not scales) or CloudFormation (which provisions infrastructure but does not react to metrics). A common trap is assuming Lambda can scale EC2, but Lambda is serverless and unrelated to instance management. Remember the mnemonic: “Auto Scaling reacts to CPU, ELB just routes the traffic through.”
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of technology. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company runs SAP BusinessObjects on AWS and needs to scale the application tier based on CPU utilization. Which AWS service should be used to automatically add or remove EC2 instances?
AWS Elastic Load Balancing
Why wrong: ELB distributes traffic but does not add/remove instances.
AWS Lambda
Why wrong: Lambda is not used for EC2 instance scaling.
AWS Auto Scaling
Auto Scaling can adjust instance count based on CPU metrics.
AWS CloudFormation
Why wrong: CloudFormation provisions resources but does not auto-scale.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS Auto Scaling
AWS Auto Scaling can automatically adjust the number of EC2 instances based on CloudWatch alarms for CPU utilization. AWS Elastic Load Balancing distributes traffic but does not scale instances. AWS Lambda is for serverless, not EC2 scaling. AWS CloudFormation is for infrastructure provisioning, not auto-scaling.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
AWS Elastic Load Balancing
Why it's wrong here
ELB distributes traffic but does not add/remove instances.
AWS Lambda
Why it's wrong here
Lambda is not used for EC2 instance scaling.
AWS Auto Scaling
Why this is correct
Auto Scaling can adjust instance count based on CPU metrics.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
AWS CloudFormation
Why it's wrong here
CloudFormation provisions resources but does not auto-scale.
Common exam traps
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Identify which PAS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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FAQ
Technology — This question tests Technology — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: AWS Auto Scaling — AWS Auto Scaling can automatically adjust the number of EC2 instances based on CloudWatch alarms for CPU utilization. AWS Elastic Load Balancing distributes traffic but does not scale instances. AWS Lambda is for serverless, not EC2 scaling. AWS CloudFormation is for infrastructure provisioning, not auto-scaling.
Identify which PAS-C01 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
This PAS-C01 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PAS-C01 exam.
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